Taking the Plunge

I have finally done it...taken the plunge.  This week, after months of thinking about it, talking about it, dreaming about it, I finally did it.  I started running again.  I know what you’re thinking....what’s the big deal?  People run every day...what makes you so special?   It’s special to me because after a foot injury last year I haven’t run for almost a year and I have missed it.  I loved running once I got into it, and that’s the problem. I didn’t want to start at square one again.  How ridiculous is that.  Don’t start because you can’t do what you want immediately.  It’s embarrassing to even admit just how foolish I have been.  But that’s all behind me now, becauseI am back on track.  After the first run, I realized that just because I have to start the Couch to 5K program again, doesn’t mean I won’t love it.  Yes, it was hard, but it was also rewarding.  No, I couldn’t run for 30 minutes straight, and I won’t be able to for a while, but I felt GOOD!  I have been walking every morning for months now and I feel great.   It’s a wonderful way to start your day.  The days after I have run, it’s hard to describe, but I felt even better, refreshed, and proud.  Proud that I am finally taking the step I have been dreaming about for so long.  I can already feel myself improving and I’m looking forward to the future! 

You see, it’s not just running that I have been dreaming about.  I want to run a half-marathon.  I want to push myself to do something physical, step out of my boundaries, and get healthier.  I stumbled across a little something called RunDisney...oh yes, you’ve seen it too have you?  J  After reading race reports from these sites, www.disboards.com and www.runningoftheears.com  and watching You Tube videos of all these amazing athletes I was inspired. 

                       

So, I stepped out on a limb a few months ago, I booked myself in to the Disneyland Tinkerbell Half Marathon.  There it is, my big secret, and the reason why I have been so mortified that I hadn’t started running before now.  I have a deadline to meet!   The Tinkerbell Half Marathon is January 19, 2013.  Even now as I type, I have a giant grin plastered across my face and am getting twitchy to get out and run again.  I have no dreams of grandeur for this race...I will PR simply because it will be my first half-marathon and I’m sure that 95% of the runners there will finish before me.  I want to participate, I want to be there, feel the energy of the crowd and accomplish this. 

Question of the day: Have you ever run Disney?

Source: www.facebook.com/RunDisney

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

I thought I’d continue on with my Tasty Tuesday tradition (and by tradition, I really mean that one time I did it).  J  Today I will feature another recipe that is a big favorite in my home.  Well, actually two recipes, so I suppose I should call it a meal, Zippy Pork Chops and Parmesan Orzo. 

PARMESAM ORZO

3 tbsp margarine                              ½ cup Parmesan cheese

1 ½ cups orzo pasta                         1 ½ tsp dried basil

3 cups chicken broth                       salt & pepper to taste

Melt margarine in saucepan over med-high heat.  Add orzo and sauté for 2 minutes, till slightly brown.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover & simmer till orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed—about 20 minutes.  Mix in parmesan and basil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serves 6.  Very nice with salmon or pork chops. 

 BBQ Tangy Pork Chops

6 bone in, 1” thick pork chops     2 tbsp Lemon-Pepper Seasoning

¼ c Water                                            3 Garlic cloves (minced)

1/3 c Soy Sauce                                 1 tsp Montreal Steak Spice

2 tbsp cooking oil

Combine ingredients and pour over pork chops in zipper plastic bag or marinating dish.  Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but I find it’s better if left over night.  This recipe is best if the pork chops are barbequed.  During the first 10 minutes of barbequing, baste with the sauce.

I usually serve these recipes with a side of cooked vegetables or tossed salad.  The pork chops freeze great, so I will often make up a few batches at once and freeze a couple in zipper freezer bags to pull out at a later date.  Both these recipes were given to me by a friend of mine and are great summer recipes.

Question of the day: Do you have a favorite BBQ recipe?

Goals

One of my goals is to become more active and healthier for my children.  I’m in okay shape and eat fairly healthy...but I’m not sure that’s good enough.  I’m on the very top end of normal weight and would like to bring myself down about 10 lbs.  I don’t even think it’s a number on the scale so much as I want to feel good.  I want to feel strong and healthy.  I know I don’t have far to go, but I also know that those 10 lbs will be hard.  I have lost 10 lbs already and can feel such a difference.  

Over the past year, I have been reading a lot of running/healthy living blogs.  Wow, you people inspire me!  I finished the Couch to 5 k program a year ago and started running...and I loved it.  But then, life got in the way: I injured my foot and by the time it was healed, my husband was gone working and I couldn’t get away for a run.  Then winter hit and who really wants to run in -30C.  Excuses.  That’s what actually happened....a whole simmering pot of excuses on why I couldn’t.  Now, I can’t seem to find the jam to start the program again.  I’m disappointed that I even have to start again...I wish I could pick up right where I left off.  So not realistic. 

So, I’m also hoping this blog will hold me accountable to exercise.  Keep me on the path because people will notice if I fall off again.  I’m really hoping at least one of you out there reads this little diary and holds me to it...any takers?

Source: http://agents.hometownquotes.com/2010/12/your-insurance-agencys-goals-for-2011/

MIA

Missing In Action.

By this point in time, you probably thought that was me... just another one of those people who started a blog and realized after a couple of posts that they really don’t have anything to say.  Well, you could be right.  But I’m back again, ready to take another swing at this. 

I follow a lot of blogs and am hooked on reading them.  I’m hoping someday someone reads this...even just one person would make my day. 

I still don’t have one specialized thing that I want to write about.  I can honestly even say what I am going to write tomorrow.  But, I’m going to try and write more often....hopefully way more often. 

I’m going to share with you my journey from “couch potato to sort-of athlete”, the joys and challenges of motherhood, and the path I’m on to discover “what I really want to do with myself”.  Along the way, I’ll probably miss a few posts, fall, stumble, but hopefully I’ll reach new heights.  Hopefully someone will miss me if I quit posting.  Hold me accountable and remind me that someone is reading...and kick my butt back into gear.  After all, we all have our moments, our good days and bad.  And I’m just like you...I’m just an everyday girl.